Underwater University

This picture makes me so sad. I found it on the Des Moines Register's website and the impact of the flooding at the University of Iowa really hit home. Many of the other pictures I've seen are ariel shots or pictures taken in a way that I can't quite mentally orient myself to.

I've seen the shots of the Mayflower dorm, where I lived as a freshman. The name seems a little ironic now that it seems to be sticking up out of a body of water. From the way the pictures are taken, it's hard to see where the water level is in relation to the building.

This picture, however, is the one that really gets to me. It shows an entrance to the Union that I went in and out of daily when I was in school there. That door led me to a quick cup of coffee and tables for a place to study between classes. I walked that way to buy books and other supplies at the Union book store. That was the way to get a quick lunch when I didn't want to go back to the dorm. It's hard to see such a familiar sight in such a surreal and tragic way.